How can one find hope in difficult times? What should you do when life challenges threaten your peace, joy, and comfort, even your life? What are the ways to find hope again after a series of severe crises? Is hope in difficult times realistic?
The truth is, challenges in life are inevitable. No matter how pious you are about life, certain situations could get out of control, causing you hard times. Some of these could be the death of a loved one, loss of job, rejection, social pressure, recurrent failure and so on. Of course, these are hard times. The major thing that would keep you going in difficult times is by making time for Jesus. In Him is life, hope and truth.
Making Time for Jesus (Flipbook + Downloadable E-Book)
No matter the difficult situation you are in right now, I want to tell you that you are not alone. Having gone through some hard times, I have found out some unlikely ways you can always find hope in difficult times and places.
Quickly, let me give you a rundown of the ten (10) uncommon ways to find hope in difficult times:
- Gratitude restores hope in difficult times
- Learn to Give others hope
- Find Hope in Nature
- Unplug yourself from social media
- Stay with people who inspire hope in you
- Be Optimistic at all time
- Do not Bottle Your Emotions
- Do things you love
- Find Hope in God’s promises for you
- Find Hope in prayers
GRATITUDE RESTORES HOPE IN DIFFICULT TIMES
Learn to appreciate what is left to you despite what you had lost. Whatever you lose during hard times is an indication that something better awaits you, better than what you used to have.
Stop holding back yourself from trying again because you once failed. Be grateful for today’s failure because it’s building you up for tomorrow’s success. Gratitude raises you to a new altitude in life, above the hard times.
Now, I want you to be grateful for the shoes you have because it means you still have legs to wear them. Be grateful for the food you eat because it means you still have a mouth to eat. In all, never complain about what you lack when you should be grateful for all that you have.
A grateful heart will always be merry. Do not lose your joy and happiness to ingratitude. Find a reason to be grateful today and you will find hope in difficult times like this.
LEARN TO GIVE OTHERS HOPE
Whatever you make possible for others, God will make it possible for you. Learning to give others hope is one of the best ways to find hope in difficult times. Of course, I know your challenges could be the loss of a job or something valuable. Yet, you are not a beggar. You have shelter over your head and some money to feed yourself.
However, there are several homeless people out there who only need a dollar to survive. The money you give to these ones is an indication of hope for them.
Sometimes, hope does not have to be monetary. It could be a smile, care, love and sincere concern you have for other people around you.
When you give this emotional support to those who need them, you will enjoy the height of comfort those kind gestures would bring to your spirit and soul. This way, you have provided hope in difficult times, not only for others but also for yourself.
FIND HOPE IN NATURE
Nature has a lot of beauty and hope for anyone going through difficult times. Consider going out in the cool of the evening, just to observe the shimmering waves of the seas, the beauty of flowers in their arrays and the structural positioning on hills and mountains.
Get out of your home to have a new feel about nature. It will interest you to know that nature has calming charms that make you feel relaxed and optimistic even in troubled times. Find inspiration from the beauty of the lilies, the budding of flowers and the metamorphosis of the butterflies. You can sit outside at night and just stare into the open sky. It is an amazing view that can restore hope in difficult times.
Go out to meditate in nature and find hope for your life again.
UNPLUG YOURSELF FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media should not be your place when seeking hope in difficult times. There are lots of imagery, news, and information that would overwhelm your heart on social media. Being on social media in troubled times could create more heaviness in your heart if care is not taken.
Keep away from the abstract world of social media and find things or places that could restore a sense of hope in your heart.
There are lots of noises on social media. All you need is peace, tranquility and a sense of living, not noise.
STAY WITH PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE HOPE IN YOU
Your association matters a lot to your mental health and total wellbeing. Those around you will either be fire or extinguisher to you while seeking hope in difficult times. A fire is anybody or association that keeps fueling hope in you at all times. They show you the possibilities you have shut your mind to because of hurt and pains in your heart. Stay with these kinds of people. They always find solutions for every problem.
On the other hand, fire extinguishers are people full of negative vibes. They are quick to see the wrong, what does not work and impossibilities at all times. Run from people like this. They always find problems for every solution.
DO NOT BOTTLE YOUR EMOTIONS
It’s okay to cry when life hurts. Do not conceal what would keep hunting you later.
Cry when in pain.
Speak up when angry.
Be expressive. Do not be the one holding yourself back in an attempt to find hope in difficult times.
What many people do not know is that the pang of hurt becomes fiercer in silence. Let out your emotions and let them move with the wind.
BE OPTIMISTIC AT ALL TIME
Stay positive about life, regardless of the negative situation around you. If you radiate negative energy in difficult times, it becomes impossible to get out of those difficulties. However, if you maintain a high energy of positivity, you will find hope in difficult times.
In every mess, there is a message. Pay attention to the message rather than feeling bad about the mess.
Always remember that God makes all things work together for your good.
ENGAGE IN FUN-FILLED ACTIVITIES
Activities like hiking, fishing, mountain climbing, swimming, visiting an amusement park and so on, mean different things to different people. While some see these activities as just sports for relaxation, others see them as emotional therapy.
For example, I enjoyed the sight of a large water body as a young boy. This has stayed with me all through life, even into adulthood. Whenever I desire to relax and have fun, the first place I would like to visit would be a running river or a water fountain. The splashing of large water bodies gives me hope in difficult times.
Yours could be hiking or mountain climbing. Whatever it is, never stop doing things that make you feel alive and excited about life. Love what you do and always do what you love.
FIND HOPE IN GOD’S PROMISES FOR YOU
The Bible contains God’s word that brings hope in difficult times. Amazingly, God’s promises are not mere words but the truth. At one place, God said;
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Circumstances around you do not make God’s promises for your life invaluable. The truth is, every word God has spoken about you in the Bible must find fulfillment in your life. However, most of us rob ourselves of these amazing promises when we tend to esteem our difficult situation above God’s promises for our life.
Today, I will like you to search your Bible to find out all God promised you. Remember, what God said to one, He is saying to all. So, all promises God made with the Israelites also apply to you if you believe them and confess them upon your life always.
FIND HOPE IN PRAYERS
Prayer is not only communication with God; it is also a means to reassure yourself of what God had said about you with a forehand. When you pray, you remind God His word concerning you and that alone can restore hope in your heart.
Develop a culture of prayer as it is a powerful means to find hope in difficult times.
Here are some prayers you can make to God:
- You can pray for hope not to give up on God
- Pray for hope to get stronger as you advance in life
- Pray that God will comfort your heart and give you peace.
In conclusion, finding hope in difficult times is possible when you embrace any of the above ways. Let hope come alive within your heart and start seeing life with a fresh lens of possibilities.
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